1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus that is capable of changing an aspect ratio of a reproduced output picture of an optical disc.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, a digital versatile disc (DVD) that is an optical disc capable of recording large quantity of information such as a picture and audio data of a TV program or a movie has become widely available. There are known several types of the DVD including a DVD-ROM on which a maker records information but a user cannot rewrite it, a DVD-R or a DVD+R on which a user can record information only once, and a DVD-RW or a DVD+RW on which a user can rewrite information a predetermined times. Information recorded on these DVD can be reproduced with an optical disc reproducing apparatus (a DVD player) or an optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus (a DVD recorder), while information can be recorded on the DVD-R, the DVD+R, the DVD-RW or the DVD+RW with the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus (the DVD recorder).
There are two aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9 for a TV broadcasting screen, and some broadcasting stations adopt both the aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. On the other hand, there are recording formats for the optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus that can record TV broadcasting programs, which include the video recording format (VR format) and the video mode recording format. The VR format supports the case where TV broadcasting programs are recorded and can record TV broadcasting programs on a DVD-R or a DVD-RW with responding to a change of the aspect ratio indicated in aspect information included in a TV broadcasting signal between 4:3 and 16:9 even if the change of the aspect ratio occurs while the TV broadcasting program is being recorded. Therefore, there will be not problem in the VR format even if the aspect ratio is changed during a recording process.
However, the video mode recording format is a recording format on the basis of compatibility with DVD video that is originally used for recording movies, and it is not assumed that the aspect ratio would change within the same title. Therefore, if the aspect ratio of the TV program is changed while the TV program is being recorded on a DVD-R or a DVD-RW in the video mode, the aspect information recorded on the DVD-R or the DVD-RW indicating the aspect ratio when the recording process was started cannot be changed. Thus, the recording is continued in the same aspect ratio indicated by the aspect information that was recorded on the DVD-R or the DVD-RW first. As a result, when the recorded TV program is reproduced as it is, its screen will be elongated horizontally or vertically.
In other words, in the case of the video mode, if a mismatch between the aspect ratio of the TV broadcasting signal (a TV aspect ratio) and the aspect ratio indicated by the aspect information recorded on the optical disc when the recording is started (a disc aspect ratio) occurs during a recording process, the recording process is continued with the disc aspect ratio that was determined when the recording process is started because the disc aspect ratio is fixed and cannot be adapted to the TV aspect ratio. As a result, when the recorded TV program is reproduced as it is, its screen will be elongated horizontally or vertically.
In addition, even in the case of the DVD+R or the DVD+RW recording format, similarly to the case of the video mode recording format, if a mismatch between the aspect ratio of the TV broadcasting signal (a TV aspect ratio) and the aspect ratio indicated by the aspect information recorded on the optical disc when the recording is started (a disc aspect ratio) occurs during a recording process, the recording process is continued with the disc aspect ratio because the disc aspect ratio is fixed and cannot be adapted to the TV aspect ratio. As a result, when the recorded TV program is reproduced as it is, its screen will be elongated horizontally or vertically.
Therefore, a conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus has a function for enabling selection between recording in the aspect ratio 16:9 and recording in the aspect ratio 4:3 as an initial setting of a pre-record setup when the recording process is to be performed by a recording format other than the VR format, e.g., the video mode. In addition, it has a function for the user to operate a remote controller upon reproduction so as to select a squeeze process in the initial setting manually. In other words, change in setting of the aspect ratio in the conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus is performed by the user who operates the remote controller so as to display a setup menu screen on a display device, by changing setting of the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 4:3, for example. Therefore, the conventional optical disc recording and reproducing apparatus has a problem that much time and effort are necessary for changing the setting of the aspect ratio during the recording process.
There are some conventional techniques associated with the aspect ratio, which includes JP-A-2001-36871 and JP-A-2003-153115, for example. The conventional technique described in JP-A-2001-36871 divides an image signal from a DVD into a squeeze component image and a wide image component and performs a screen display with a rate conversion after selection by a monitor aspect identifying signal. There is no description about a process of changing the aspect ratio for avoiding the horizontally or vertically elongated screen when the TV program is reproduced as it is, despite that the aspect ratio of the TV broadcasting signal was changed during a recording process in the video mode on a DVD-R or a DVD-RW and still the TV program was recorded in the same aspect ratio.
In addition, the conventional technique described in JP-A-2003-153115 mixes an OSD display data corresponding to the aspect ratio in a picture source such as a DVD so that the screen display is performed in a picture display device. When the OSD display data that indicates remaining storage space in a video tape, a track number of a DVD that is currently read or the like is displayed on the screen of a TV set or a monitor, if the aspect ratio of the picture source including the OSD display data does not match the aspect ratio of the screen of the TV set or the monitor, the aspect ratio of the picture source including the OSD display data is adapted to the aspect ratio of the screen of the TV set or the monitor so as to avoid a failure such as a missing display of the OSD information or the like. However, this conventional technique also does not disclose a process of changing the aspect ratio for avoiding the horizontally or vertically elongated screen when the TV program is reproduced as it is, despite that the aspect ratio of the TV broadcasting signal was changed during a recording process in the video mode on a DVD-R or a DVD-RW and still the TV program was recorded in the same aspect ratio.